


A Fortunate Woman

by Luunyscarlet



Category: Girl Genius (Webcomic)
Genre: Dysfunctional Relationships, F/M, Forced Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:15:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24499285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luunyscarlet/pseuds/Luunyscarlet
Summary: Teodora muses on her luck and marriage.
Relationships: Saturnus Heterodyne/Teodora Vodenicharova
Comments: 14
Kudos: 40





	A Fortunate Woman

How lucky she is, sing the people of Mechanicsburg. How fortunate is she, to have caught the eye of their Master who travelled weeks to her barony to ask her for her hand in marriage. How lucky she is to have his love and affection. 

How lucky you are, say her old circle of friends with barely concealed envy in their letters. You have married into one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Europa. Your husband is young and handsome and most of all, he loves and respects you. Your family and lands are safe from the predations of Mechanicsburg, nor do they have to pay the tribute for at least _two_ generations.

Lucky, lucky, lucky. It makes Teodora want to climb up to the roof of her little house and _scream_ her head off at times. She never asked to draw Saturnus’s attention! She never asked him to propose to her! She never asked for this sort of _luck_!

Teodora remembers all too well the day she lost her freedom. The day the Heterodyne’s army marched onto her little barony. She remembers the dying screams of her soldiers as they fought against an enemy they had no hopes of defeating. The crash of the castle’s doors as they came down. The looks of barely concealed fear on the faces of her family when swords were put to their necks as Saturnus knelt down before her and asked her to marry him. What choice did she have back then, but to say yes? The answer is, no choice at all. At least, not one that she could live with.

She had tried to kill him later on their way back to his town. What a pity that he was wearing armour underneath his robes. 

“I suppose I can hardly blame you,” Saturnus had laughed as he disarmed her with ease. “Don’t worry Teodora, you are to be my wife and I will love and cherish you for the rest of our lives. You will be happy in Mechanicsburg, just wait and see.”

The next day, the Jägergenerals invited her for tea. There, over cake and gingerbread, the Jägergenerals had gently, kindly, explained to her just what would happen to her family and people had she succeeded. She has never tried to kill him since then.

Her husband is a man who has committed numerous atrocities. A man who has wiped towns off the map for no reason other than simple whim. A man who can smile and smile as he tortures some poor unfortunate soul to death. 

And yet.

And yet, she has grown to love him. He has been nothing but kind to her. He is brilliant and witty and they could talk for hours on end about everything under the sun. He takes her by the hand on some activity or another, some little adventure that has her either giddy with excitement or laughter or both. Say what you may about Saturnus, but you can never accuse him of being boring! He loves his people fiercely, and they love him back, like the plants love the sun.

He loves her too. He wants her to be happy here so very much. This little house is proof of that. She spoke to him before about how she was uncomfortable with the Castle and the next thing she knew, she was presented with this house.

 _Uncomfortable_ , is frankly putting it lightly. The Castle, with its casual cruelty and sadism both sickens and terrifies her. It boasted before about how it has raised generations of Heterodynes since its creation. Frankly, she is unsurprised that Saturnus turned out the way he did, being raised within the walls of this overgrown clank.

Sometimes, Teodora wishes that she could forgive and forget. It would make her life so much _easier_ if she could just… forgive her husband of the crimes he has committed against her and her own. If she could just close her eyes against the atrocities committed within and without the Castle walls. She might be a happier woman, if she did.

But she cannot.

She _will not_ turn a blind eye to the suffering that her husband and the rest of Mechanicsburg creates. If she can reduce it, even if in some small way, then why not?

The first time she managed to rescue and free some hapless wretch from Saturnus’s dungeons, she had braced herself against his fury. She had expected him to mete out some punishment or another. Instead, he laughed, shook his head and said “Alright Teodora, you win this round. But next time you won’t be so lucky!” 

Here is their game: she will do her best to rescue a Mechanicsburg prisoner or at the very least, grant them a merciful death, and her husband will try to prevent her from doing so. His wins far outstrip hers - he has all the forces of Mechanicsburg on his side and she has no one but herself to rely on.

Still, she has a chance to win the end game. Teodora looks down on the face of her sleeping infant son and swears that he will never grow up to be like his father and ancestors.


End file.
